Agate Beach is a beach in Houghton County, Michigan at about 190 m (623 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 24 km (15 mi) WSW of Atlantic Mine.
Agate Beach is located in Stanton Township, Michigan near Toivola and is named after the agate rocks that are found on the shore.From the Wikipedia article “Agate Beach (Michigan)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Agate Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:00 AM | 90° E | 8:08 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:01 AM | 53° NE | 9:55 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:43 AM | 89° E | 7:55 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:40 AM | 125° SE | 5:10 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 30m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Beaches facing east suit sunrise and west-facing beaches suit sunset; wet sand mirrors the sky color during golden hour.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:04 AM | 8:38 AM | 9:27 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:08 PM | 8h 56m |
| February | 7:30 AM | 8:01 AM | 8:45 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:52 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 7:39 AM | 8:10 AM | 8:50 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:32 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:37 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:16 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 5:45 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:06 AM | 8:40 PM | 9:25 PM | 10:01 PM | 15h 04m |
| June | 5:21 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:48 AM | 9:06 PM | 9:53 PM | 10:33 PM | 15h 53m |
| July | 5:38 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:02 AM | 9:02 PM | 9:48 PM | 10:26 PM | 15h 32m |
| August | 6:20 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:42 PM | 14h 15m |
| September | 7:03 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:14 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:40 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:44 AM | 8:14 AM | 8:56 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:41 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 7:27 AM | 8:00 AM | 8:47 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:56 PM | 9h 23m |
| December | 8:00 AM | 8:36 AM | 9:28 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:43 PM | 8h 32m |
Local time (America/Detroit), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Agate Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | 6:24 AM – 6:24 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 4:17 AM – 5:07 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:24 AM – 3:54 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:49 AM – 2:59 AM | 2.2 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:24 AM – 1:54 AM | 1.5 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 11:11 PM – 11:51 PM | 0.7 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.91 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show March as the clearest month (about 73% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (89%). August is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 42 | 41 | 57 | 58 | 65 | 65 | 75 | 76 | 74 | 66 | 58 | 49 |
| Low °F | -6 | -9 | -6 | 16 | 27 | 35 | 39 | 50 | 40 | 31 | 13 | 5 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this beach
- Time visits around low tide to reveal tide pools, sea stacks and reflective sand — check the tide widget below.
- Slow shutter speeds (0.5–2 s) turn receding waves into streaks that lead toward the horizon.
- Watch for sneaker waves; never turn your back on the ocean on exposed coasts.
- Salt spray coats lenses quickly; wipe often and rinse gear afterward.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Winter storms bring dramatic surf on Pacific coasts; summer and autumn sunsets are popular on Atlantic and Gulf beaches.
Suggested gear: Tripod, ND filters, Rain cover, Lens cloths. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Agate Beach, closest first.
Sand DunesSand Dunes
Waterfall
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Agate Beach?
What time is golden hour at Agate Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Agate Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Agate Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Agate Beach?
How far is Agate Beach from Atlantic Mine?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.